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Famous Jews
__TOC__ The following is an list of famous Jews, in alphabetical order, notable followers of Judaism (either from birth or following conversion) or people who professed a Jewish cultural identity. The list includes people who distinguished themselves in the fields of religious scholarship, science, politics, literature, business, art, entertainment and sport amongst others. Most of the names link to Wikipedia articles with more information. For people whose fame has to do with their Judaism, there may be an article on this Judaism Wikia as well, in which case, the link will go to the local article. A * Paula Abdul (born 1962) American singer. * Harold Abrahams (1899-1978) British athlete, Olympic gold medal winner whose story is featured in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire. * Roman Abramovich (born 1966) Russian-Israeli billionaire, businessman, investr and politician, owner of the British Premier League soccer team Chelsea Football Club. * J.J. Abrams (born 1966) American director. * Jason Alexander (born 1959) American actor, comedian and singer. * Woody Allen (born 1935) American actor, comedian and movie director. * Herb Alpert (born 1935) American trumpetist, vocalist and recording industry executive. * Simon Amstell (born 1979) British comedian, TV presenter, actor and screenwriter. * Judd Apatow (born 1967) American screenwriter, producer, director, actor and comedian. * Adam Arkin (born 1956) American TV, film and stage actor and director, son of Alan Arkin. * Alan Arkin (born 1934) American actor. * Tom Arnold (born 1959) American actor and comedian, converted to Judaism in 1990. * Bea Arthur (1922-2009) American actress, comedian and singer. * Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) American professor of biochemistry, author of science-fiction, fantasy, mysteries and non-fiction books on science, history, Shakespeare and the Bible. Born in Petrovichi, Russia. * Paul Auster (born 1947) multiple award-winning American author. * Hank Azaria (born 1964) American actor, voice of many characters on The Simpsons. B *Lauren Bacall (1924-2014) American actress and singer. * David Baddiel (born 1964) British comedian, novelist and television presenter. * Sacha Baron-Cohen (born 1971) British actor and comedian whose characters include Ali G, Bruno and Borat. * Max Baer (1909-1959) American heavyweight boxing champion who wore a Star of David on his boxing shorts when in the ring. * Ralph Bakshi (born 1938) American animator and film director. Born in Haifa, Israel. *Barbara (1930-1997) French singer-songwriter whose birth name was Monique Serf. *Emma Barnett (born 1985) British journalist, radio and TV presenter. * Roseanne Barr (born 1952) American actress, comedienne, writer, TV producer and diirector. * Lionel Bart (1930-1999) British composer of pop music and musicals, wrote the musical Oliver! * Jon "Bowzer" Bauman (born 1947) American musician. * Zygmunt Bauman (1925-2017) Polish sociologist, essayist and philosopher. * Saul Bellow (1915-2005) Canadian-born author. * Luciana Berger (born 1981) British politician. * Henri Bergson (1859-1941) Famous French philosopher. * Milton Berle (1908-2002) American comedian and actor. * Irving Berlin (1888-1989) American composer and lyricist, one of the most famous and prodigious songwriters in history. Ironically, his compositions included "White Christmas" and "Easter Parade". * Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) World-famous French stage actress. * Sandra Bernhard (born 1955) American comedienne, actress, singer, and author. * Joe Besser (190 7-1988) American comedian, one of seven performers who at various times formed part of The Three Stooges. * Mayim Bialik (born 1975) American actress, author and neuroscientist. * Theodore Bikel (1924-2015) Austrian-born American actor, folk singer and musician. *László Jószef Bíró (1899-1985) Hungarian-born Argentinean inventor and journalist, inventor of the modern ballpoint pen. * Jack Black (born 1969) American actor, comedian and musician. * David Blaine (born 1973) American magician. * Mel Blanc (1908-1989) American comedian and voice actor, voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and many more cartoon characters. * Lionel Blue (1930-2016) British Reform rabbi, writer, journalist and broadcaster. The first openly gay rabbi in the United Kingdom. * Steve Blum (born 1960) American voice actor, voice of TOM and Wolverine. * Steven Bochco (1943-2018) American TV producer and writer who developed Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Doogie Howser, M.D. and NYPD Blue. * Jerrold Lewis "Jerry" Bock (1928-2010) American musical theater composer, Tony and Pulitzer prize winner, composed music for Fiddler on the Roof * Marc Bolan (1947-1977) British musician from the band T-Rex. * Helena Bonham Carter (born 1966) British actress. * Issy Bonn (1893-1977) British actor, singer and comedian. Popularized the song My Yiddishe Momme in Britain. * Victor Borge (1909-2000) Danish-born comedian, pianist and conductor. * Alex Borstein (born 1971) American actress, writer, producer and comedian, voices Lois in Family Guy and is a cast member of MADtv. * Bernard Bresslaw (1934-1993) British comedy actor * Fanny Brice (1891-1951) American comedienne, singer, radio, film and theater actress. * Sergey Brin (born 1973) Russian-American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur, co-founder of Google Inc. * Matthew Broderick (born 1962) American stage and film actor. * Adrien Brody (born 1973) American actor. * Elkie Brooks (born 1945) British singer. * Mel Brooks (born 1926) American comedy actor, director and film producer. * Dr. Joyce Brothers (1927-2013) American psychologist, television personality and columnist whose career spanned almost six decades. "The Mother of Media Psychology" * Lenny Bruce (1925-1966) American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist and screenwriter. * Jerome Bruner (1915-2016) American psychologist who made significant contributions in the field of educational psychology. * George Burns (1896-1996) American comedian, actor and writer whose career spanned seven decades * Red Buttons (1919-2006) American comedian and actor. C * James Caan (born 1940) American actor. *Sid Caesar (1922-2014) American comic actor and writer. * Eddie Cantor (1892-1964) American comedian, actor, singer and songwriter. *Al Capp (1909-1979) American cartoonist, creator of the Li'l Abner comic strip. * Nell Carter (1948-2003) American actress and singer, converted to Judaism in 1982. * Marc Chagall (1887-1985) Russian-French artist. * Sir Ernst Chain (1906-1979) British scientist, Nobel Prize winner in 1945, co-developer of penicillin. Born in Berlin, Germany. * Noam Chomsky (born 1928) American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist and political activist. * Lee J. Cobb (1911-1976) American actor. * Alma Cogan (1932-1966) British pop singer. * Ben Cohen (born 1951) American businessman, activist and philanthropist, co-founder of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry's. * Sir Jack Cohen (1898-1979) British businessman, founder of the Tesco supermarket chain. * Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. * Jackie Collins (1937-2015) British-American novelist. * Dame Joan Collins (born 1933) British actress. * Jennifer Connelly (born 1970) Academy Award-winning American actress. * Hans Conried (1917-1982) American actor, comedian, singer and voice actor, best known for voicing Captain Hook in the 1953 Disney film Peter Pan. * David Copperfield (born 1956) American illusionist/magician. * Billy Crystal (born 1948) American comedian, actor, writer, producer and director. * Edwina Currie (born 1946) British novelist and broadcaster, former Member of Parliament and Junior Health Minister. * Jamie Lee Curtis (born 1958) Golden Globe-winning American film actress, successful writer of books for children. * Tony Curtis (1925-2010) American actor. D * Rodney Dangerfield (1921-2004) American comedian and actor. * Craig David (born 1981) British R&B singer-songwriter. * Larry David (born 1947) American actor, writer, comedian and producer. * Sammy Davis, Jr. (1925-1990) American entertainer, converted to Judaism in 1954 * Neil Diamond (born 1941) American singer-songwriter. * Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) First Earl of Beaconsfield, Prime Minister of Great Britain. * E.L. Doctorow (1931-2015) American author, best known for his works of historical fiction. * Kirk Douglas (born 1916) American actor and film producer. * Melvyn Douglas (1901-1981) American actor. * Drake (born 1986) Canadian rapper singer songwriter, record producer and actor. * Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935) French army officer who was falsely convicted of treason. * Rene Dreyfus (1905 -1993) French racing driver. * Richard Dreyfuss (born 1947) American film actor * Bob Dylan (born 1941) American singer-songwriter, artist and writer. Winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. E * Albert Einstein (1879 -1955) American physicist, Nobel Prize winner, Zionist. Born in Ulm, Germany. *Will Eisner (1917-2005) American cartoonist, writer and entrepreneur who created the series The Spirit and popularized the term "graphic novel". * Ray Ellington (1916-1985) British jazz musician. * Harlan Ellison (1934-2018) American writer, chiefly of science fiction. * Ben Elton (born 1959) British comedian, author, playwright and television director. * Rahm Emanuel (born 1959) US House Representative, White House Chief of Staff, incumbent Mayor of Chicago. F * Peter Falk (1927-2011) American actor, best known for playing Lieutenant Columbo on television. * Moris Farhi (born 1935) Turkish writer and human rights campaigner. * Nicole Farhi (born 1945) French fashion designer and sculptor. * Oded Fehr (born 1970): Israeli/American actor, best known for his movie work in The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, and the popular TV show Covert Affairs. * Marty Feldman (1934-1982) British comedian, comedy writer and actor. * Richard Feynman (1918-1988) American physicist and text book writer. * Larry Fine (1902-1975) American comedian, one of seven performers who at various times formed part of The Three Stooges. * Fyvush Finkel (1922-2016) American actor, best known for his roles in the TV series Picket Fences and Boston Public. * Carrie Fisher (1956-2016) American actress, writer, producer and humorist. Best known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars film series. * Eddie Fisher (1928 2010) American entertainer. * Bud Flanagan (1896-1968) British comedian and singer, at the height of his popularity during World War II. * Max Fleischer (1883-1972) American animator, creator of Koko the Klown and Betty Boop, maker of the first animated Popeye cartoons. Born in Krakow, Poland. * Harrison Ford (born 1942) American actor. * Anne Frank (1929-1945) Dutch teenage Holocaust victim and diarist. * Lucian Freud (1922-2011) British artist. * Sigmund Freud (1885-1939) Austrian physician, the father of psychoanalysis. * Debbie Friedman (1951-2011) American musician. * Stephen Fry (born 1957) British comedian, TV presenter, actor, author and film director. * Soleil Moon Frye (born 1976) American actress, director and screenwriter. Played the title role in the TV series Punky Brewster as a child. G * Josh Gad (born 1981) American actor and singer, best known for voicing Olaf the snowman in the 2013 Disney movie Frozen. * Gal Gadot (born 1985) Israeli model and actress, star of the 2017 movie Wonder Woman. * Neil Gaiman (born 1960) British novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, playwright, comic book and graphic novel writer. * Serge Gainsbourg (1928-1991) French singer-songwriter, actor and director. * Art Garfunkel (born 1941) American musician. * Mordechai Gebirtig (1877-1942) Polish songwriter and Holocaust victim. *Sarah Michelle Gellar (born 1977) American actress and producer, best known for playing the title role in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series. * Uri Geller (born 1946) Israeli who claims to have supernatural psychic abilities. * George Gershwin (1898-1937) American composer and pianist. * Melissa Gilbert (born 1964) American actress, writer and producer. Starred in Little House on the Prairie as a child actress. * Hermione Gingold (1897-1987) British actress. * Bill Goldberg (born 1965) American actor, professional football player and professional wrestler. *Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer and inventor. * Jeff Goldblum (born 1952) American actor. * William Goldman (1931-2018) American novelist, playwright and screenwriter. * Samuel Goldwyn (1879-1974) American film producer and movie industry executive. Born in Warsaw, Poland. * Joseph Gordon-Levitt (born 1981) American actor and filmmaker. *René Goscinny (1926-1977) French comics editor and writer, co-creator of Asterix, also known for his work on the Lucky Luke and Iznogoud comics series. * Elliot Gould (born 1938) American actor. *Lew Grade, Baron Grade (1906-1998) British media proprietor and impresario, founder of ITC Entertainment, commissioned The Muppet Show in 1976. Born in Tokmak, Ukraine. *Michael Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth (born 1943) British TV executive and businessman, Controller of BBC1 from 1984 to 1986 (during which time he cancelled Doctor Who), Chairman of the BBC from 2004 to 2006. * Seth Green (born 1974) American actor, comedian, producer, writer and director. * Norman Greenbaum (born 1942) American singer-songwriter, best known for his song "Spirit in the Sky". * Hank Greenberg (1911-1986) American professional baseball player. * Jerry Greenfield (born 1951) American businessman and philanthropist, co-founder of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry's. * Milt Gross (1895-1953) American cartoonist, animator and writer whose best known work is the 1927 book De Night in de Front from Chreesmas. * Ruth Gruber (1911-2016) American journalist, photographer, writer, humanitarian and government official. *Béla Guttmann (1899-1981) Hungarian-born soccer player, coach and manager. As a manager, he led the Portuguese team Benfica to two successive European Cup victories in 1961 and 1962. * Sir Ludwig Guttmaan (1899-1980) German-born British neurologist who established the Paralympic Games. * Jake Gyllenhaal (born 1980) American actor. H *Eric Hall (born 1947) British show business and soccer agent. *Laurence Harvey (1928-1973) Lithuanian-born South African actor. *Goldie Hawn (born 1945) American actress, film director and producer. *Henry Heimlich (1920-2016) American surgeon and medical researcher, widely credited as the inventor of the Heimlich maneuver. *Joseph Heller (1923-1999) American novelist, author of Catch 22. *Steven Hill (1922-2016) American actor, best known for his appearances in the TV series Mission Impossible (1966-1967) and Law & Order (1990-2000). *Dustin Hoffman (born 1937) American actor, two time Academy Award winner. *Judy Holliday (1921-1965) American actress, comedian and singer. *Anthony Horowitz (born 1956) British novelist and screenwriter, creator of Alex Rider. *Harry Houdini (1874-1926) American magician, escapologist and debunker of the supposedly supernatural. Born in Budapest, Hungary. *Curly Howard (1903-1952) American comedian, one of seven performers who at various times formed part of The Three Stooges. *Leslie Howard (1893-1943) British actor, played Ashley Wilkes in Gone With The Wind. Died a heroic death in a plane crash as an agent of the British government. *Moe Howard (1897-1975) American comedian, one of seven performers who at various times formed part of The Three Stooges. *Shemp Howard (1895-1955) American comedian, one of seven performers who at various times formed part of The Three Stooges. *Sarah Hughes (born 1985) American figure-skater, Olympic gold-medalist. *Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) German philosopher. I *Jason Isaacs (born 1963) British actor, best known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. J *Joseph Jacobs (1854-1916) Australian born folklorist and writer whose 1890 book English Fairy Tales helped to popularize stories including "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Tom Thumb". *Howard Jacobson (born 1942) British novelist and journalist. * Flory Jagoda (born 1925) American musician, composer of Ocho kandelikas. Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. * Sid James (1913-1976) British comedy actor. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa. * Ron Jeremy (born 1953) American pornographic actor and filmmaker. * Billy Joel (born 1949) American pianist, singer-songwriter and classical composer. * Scarlett Johansson (born 1984) American actress and singer. * Al Jolson (1886-1950) American singer, comedian and actor, star of the 1927 film, The Jazz Singer. Born in Seredzius, Lithuania. * Alberto Jori (born 1965) Italian philosopher. * Lesley Joseph (born 1945) British actress, best known in Britain for playing the Jewish character Dorien Green in the BBC sitcom Birds of a Feather. K * Franz Kafka (1883 -1924) Czech author who wrote in German. * Bob Kane (1915-1998) American comic book artist and writer, creator of Batman. * Miriam Karlin (1925-2011) British actress, starred as the Jewish ghost Mrs. Yetta Feldman in the BBC sitcom ''So Haunt Me''. * Sir Gerald Kaufman (1930-2017) British politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until his death. * Danny Kaye (1913-1987) American comedian, actor and singer. * Harvey Keitel (born 1939) American actor. * Judith Kerr (1923-2019) British children's author, best known for the 1968 picture book The Tiger who Came to Tea and seventeen books about the cat Mog. Born in Berlin, Germany. *Imre Kertész (1929-2016) Hungarian author and Holocaust survivor, received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2002. *Larry King (born 193) American TV and radio host. * Henry Kissinger (born 1923) German-born former U.S. Secretary of State. * Calvin Klein (born 1942) American fashion designer. * Aaron Klug (born 1926) British scientist, winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Born in Zelva, Lithuania. * Ezra Koenig (born 1984) American musician, singer, and songwriter, lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Vampire Weekend . * Walter Koenig (born 1936) American actor, director and teacher, best known for playing Ensign Chekov in Star Trek. * Arthur Koestler (1905-1983) Hungarian-born novelist and essayist who wrote in Hungarian, German and English. *Robert Kraft (born 1941) American businessman, chairman and CEO of the Kraft Group, owner of the New England Patriots NFL team and the New England Revolution MLS team. * Frans Krajcberg (1921-2017) Polish-born Brazilian artist and environmental activist. * Lisa Kudrow (born 1963) American actress, best known for playing Phoebe in the sitcom Friends. * Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993) American cartoonist, founding editor of Mad magazine. * Jared Kushner (born 1981) American businessman, investor and political operative. L * Shia LaBeouf (born 1986) American movie actor. * Verity Lambert (1935-2007) British TV and film producer, founding director of the science fiction series Doctor Who. * Michael Landon (1936-1991) American actor, writer, director and producer. * Ralph Lauren (born 1939) American fashion designer and business executive. * Daliah Lavi (1942-2017) Israeli actress, singer and model. * Nigel Lawson (born 1932) British politician, former Chancellor of the Exchequer. * Nigella Lawson (born 1960) British food writer and TV chef. * Geddy Lee (born 1953) Canadian musician, lead vocalist, bassist and keyboardist of the rock group Rush. * Stan Lee (1922-2018) American comic book writer, editor and publisher, co-creator of Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men among other characters. * Mike Leigh (born 1943) British writer, film and theater director. * Logan Lerman (born 1992) American actor. * Primo Levi (1919-1987) Italian author and Holocaust survivor. * Claude Levi-Strauss (1908-2009) French anthropologist and ethnologist. * Uriah P. Levy (1792-1862) (War of 1812) First Jewish U.S. Admiral, ended the practice of flogging, bought, restored and gave Montecello (Jefferson's home) as a gift to the American people. The first Jewish Chapel at the United States Naval Academy was named for him. *Al Lewis (1929-2006) American actor. Best known for playing Grandpa in the TV series The Munsters. * Jerry Lewis (1926-2017) American comedian, actor, singer, film producer and director. * Maureen Lipman (born 1946) British actress, best known in Britain for playing "Jewish Mother" Beatie in a series of commercials for British Telecom. *Roger Lloyd-Pack (1944-2014) British actor, best known for his roles in the sitcoms Only Fools and Horses and The Vicar of Dibley and the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. *Marceline Loridan-Ivens (1928-2018) French writer and film director. *Peter Lorre (1904-1964) Austrian-American actor. Born in what is now Slovakia. * Jon Lovitz (born 1957) American actor, comedian and singer. The first person to play Hanukkah Harry. * Ernst Lubitsch (1892-1947) German-born American film director, producer, writer and actor. * Matt Lucas (born 1974) British actor, comedian and screenwriter. M * Enrico Macias (born 1938) French musician, born in Constantine, Algeria. * Maimonides (1135-1204) Sephardi rabbi, philosopher and physician. * Howie Mandel (born 1955) Canadian-born TV presenter. * Barry Manilow (born 1943) American singer-songwriter and entertainer. * Bernard Manning (1930-2007) Controversial British stand-up comedian. * Marcel Marceau (1923-2007) French actor and mime. * Cindy Margolis (born 1965) American actress and model. * Miriam Margoyles (born 1941) British actress. * The Marx Brothers American stage and film comedians, **Chico Marx (1887 - 1961) **Groucho Marx (1890-1977) **Gummo Marx (1893-1977, did not appear in films) **Harpo Marx (1888 -1954) **Zeppo Marx (1901-1979, appeared in the first five films only) * Karl Marx (1818-1883) German philosopher. * Jackie Mason (born 1936) American comedian and former rabbi. * Robert Maxwell (1923-1991) British media tycoon and Member of Parliament. Born in what is now Solotvino, Ukraine. * Golda Meir (1898-1978) One of the founders and a prime minister of Israel. * Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) American-born violinist and conductor. * Idina Menzel (born 1971) American actress singer and songwriter, the voice of Queen Elsa in Disney's Frozen. * Don Messick (1926-1997) American voice actor, the voice of Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf and many other cartoon characters. * Debra Messing (born 1968) American actress, best known for playing Grace Adler in Will and Grace. * Bette Midler (born 1945) American singer, actress and comedienne. * George Mikes (1912 -1987) Hungarian-born British author, famous for his humorous commentaries on various countries. * Ed Miliband (born 1969) British politician, former leader of the Labour Party. * Arthur Miller (1915-2003) Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright and essayist. * Jonathan Miller (born 1934) British humorist, theater and opera director, famous intellectual. * Ephraim Mirvis (born 1956) South African-born rabbi and Talmudic scholar, Chief Rabbi of Ireland from 1985 to 1992. Chief Rabbi of the Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 2013. * Warren Mitchell (1926-2015) British actor, played the lead role in the BBC sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, which was adapted in the U.S. as All in the Family. * Isaac Mizrahi (born 1961) American fashion designer. *Patrick Modiano (born 1945) French novelist, winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize for Literature. * Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) American actress, model and singer. Converted to Judaism in 1056. * Ron Moody (1924-2015) British actor, best known for playing Fagin in the 1968 musical film Oliver! * Zero Mostel (1915-1977) American actor, originated the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway. * Paul Muni (1895-1967) Austrian-born American actor. Started in Yiddish theater and became famous as a movie actor. *Bess Myerson (1924-2014) American model, television personality and political activist whose career became overshadowed by scandal in the 1980s. She became the first Jewish Miss America in 1945. N * Julia Neuberger, Baroness Neuberger (born 1950) British rabbi and social reformer. * Anthony Newley (1931-1999) British singer, songwriter and actor. * Paul Newman (1925-2008) American actor, director, racing driver and co-founder of Newman's Own foods. His father and family on his father's side were Jewish (from Poland and Hungary) * Sydney Newman (1917-1997) Canadian film and TV producer, played a pioneering role in British TV of the 1950s and 1960s, responsible for initiating The Avengers and Doctor Who. * Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015) American actor, best known for playing Mr. Spock in Star Trek. *Denis Norden (1922-2018) British comedy writer and TV presenter. * Joshua Norton (1819-1880) The self-proclaimed, "His Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico". O *Tracy Ann Oberman (born 1966) British actress and writer, best known for her role as Christine Watts in the soap opera EastEnders.. *Amos Oz (1939-2018) Mutiple award-winning Israeli novelist, journalist and short story writer. P * Larry Page (born 1973) American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur, co-founder of Google Inc. * Sarah Jessica Parker (born 1965) American actress and producer. * Sandy Pearlman (1943-2016) American music producer, record company executive, songwriter and poet. * Grigori Perelman (born 1966) Russian mathematician. * Max Perutz (1914-2002) British molecular biologist, winner of 1962 Nobel Prize. Born in Vienna, Austria. * Pink (Alicia Beth Moore, born 1979) American singer-songwriter. * Drew Pinsky (born 1958) American addiction medicine specialist and media personality, better known as Dr. Drew. * Harold Pinter (1930-2008) Nobel Prize-winning British playwright. * Ingrid Pitt (1937-2010) Polish-born British writer and actress, best known for her appearances in the Hammer horror films of the 1970s. * Natalie Portman (born 1981) Israeli actress. * Emeric Pressburger (1902-1988) Hungarian-born, Academy Award-winning screenwriter, film director and producer. *André Previn (1929-2019) German-born American pianist, conductor and composer. R * Daniel Radcliffe (born 1989) British actor, best known for playing Harry Potter. * Joey Ramone (1951-2001) American punk rock vocalist. * Tony Randall (1920-2004) American actor, producer and director, best known for playing Felix Ungar in the TV series The Odd Couple. * Dame Esther Rantzen (born 1940) British TV presenter, founder of the charities ChildLine and The Silver Line. * David Rappaport (1951-1990) British actor, one of the best known dwarf actors in film and television. * Lou Reed (1942-2013) American rock musician, songwriter and photographer. * Rob Reiner (born 1947) American actor, writer, director, producer and writer. * Judith Resnik (1949-1986) Second American woman astronaut, second Jewish astronaut, first American Jew and first Jewish woman astronaut, killed in the Challenger disaster. *Joan Rivers (1933-2014) American actress, comedienne, writer, producer and TV host. *Edward G. Robinson (1893-1973) American actor. Born in Bucharest, Romania. * Seth Rogen (born 1982) Canadian actor, filmmaker and comedian. *Mark Ronson (born 1975) British musician and music producer. * Michael Rosen (born 1946) British children's novelist and poet, Britain's Children's Laureate from 2007 to 2009. * Isaac Rosenberg (1898=1918) British artist and poet. * Amy Krouse Rosenthal (1965-2017) American author, short film maker and radio show host. * Leo Rosten (1908-1997) American writer, author of The Joys of Yiddish. Born in Lodz, Poland. * David Lee Roth (born 1954) American rock singer and radio personality. * Philip Roth (1933-2018) Multiple award-winning American novelist, short story writer and essayist. * Helena Rubinstein (1872-1965) Polish-American businesswoman, art collector and philanthropist. Founder of the cosmetics company that bore her name. * Scott Rudin (born 1958) American film and theater producer. * Winona Ryder (born 1971) American actress. S * Andrew Sachs (1930-2016) German-born British actor, best known for playing the Spanish waiter Manuel in Fawlty Towers. * Jonathan Sacks (born 1948) Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013. * Oliver Sacks (1933-2015) British-born neurologist, psychologist and best-selling author who lived for many years in the United States. * Carl Sagan (1934-1996) American astronomer, astrophysicist and author. *Bob Saget (born 1956) American stand-up comedian, actor and television host. * Jonas Salk (1941-1995) American medical researcher and virologist, discovered and developed the first successful polio vaccine. * Bernie Sanders (born 1941) American politician. * Adam Sandler (born 1966) American actor, comedian, musician, writer and film producer. * Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) British poet. * Alexei Sayle (born 1952) British actor and comedian. * Rob Schneider (born 1963) American actor, comedian, writer and director. * David Schwimmer (born 1966) American actor, film and TV director, best known for playing Ross in the sitcom Friends. * Steven Seagal (born 1952) American actor, producer, writer and martial arts expert, father was Jewish * Neil Sedaka (born 1939) American pop singer, pianist and songwriter. * Jerry Seinfeld (born 1954) American comedian, actor and writer. * Peter Sellers (1925-1980) British actor and comedian, best known for playing Inspector Clouseau in the original Pink Panther films. * Maurice Sendak (1928-2012) American children's book writer and illustrator whose best known book is Where the Wild Things Are. * Rod Serling (1924-1975) American playwright, screenwriter, TV producer and presenter, creator of The Twilight Zone. * Anthony Shaffer (1926-2001) British playwright, novelist and screenwriter whose works include the screenplay for the 1973 movie The Wicker Man. * Sir Peter Shaffer (1926-2016) British playwright and screenwriter, author of Amadeus and Equus. * Garry Shandling (1949-2016) American comedian, writer, director, producer and voice artist. * William Shatner (born 1931) Canadian actor, best known for playing Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek. *Burt Shavitz (1935-2015) American beekeeper and businessman, co-founder of the personal care products company Burt's Bees. *Sir Antony Sher (born 1949) British actor, writer and theater director. Born in Cape Town, South Africa. * Allan Sherman (1924-1973) American TV producer and comedy writer, best known for his parody songs. * Iliza Shlesinger (born 1983) American comedienne. * Dinah Shore (1915-1994) American singer, actress and television personality. * Joe Shuster (1914-1992) Canadian-born comic book artist, co-creator of Superman. * Jerry Siegel (1914-1996) American comic book writer, co-creator of Superman. * Phil Silvers (1911-1985) American comedy actor, best known for playing Sergeant Bilko. * Shel Silverstein (1930-1999) American poet, children's author, songwriter, musician and cartoonist. * Gene Simmons (born 1949) Israeli-born musician, bassist and vocalist of the rock band Kiss. * Neil Simon (1927-2018) American playwright and screenwriter. * Paul Simon (born 1941) American singer-songwriter. * Sam Simon (1955-2015) American writer, producer, director and philanthropist, co-creator of The Simpsons. * Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902-1991) American writer, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1978. * Hillel Slovak (1962-1988) Israeli-born musician, guitarist and founding member of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers. * Abraham Sofaer (1895-1988) British-American actor. Born in what is now Yangon, Myanmar. * George Soros (born 1930) Hungarina-born American financier, businessman and philanthropist. * Art Spiegelman (born 1948) American comics writer, illustrator and editor. Author of Maus. * Steven Spielberg (born 1946) American film director and producer. * Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) Dutch philosopher. * Mark Spitz (born 1950) American athlete, winner of nine Olympic gold medals for swimming. * Paul Stanley (born 1952) American musician, rhythm guitarist and frontman of the rock band Kiss. * William Steig (1907-2003) American cartoonist, sculptor and writer of children's books, creator of Shrek the ogre. * Ben Stein (born 1944) American actor, writer, lawyer and political and economic commentator. right|thumb|125px|Barbra Streisand. * Gertrude Stein (1874-1976) American writer who spent most of her life in France. * Judith Steinberg Dean (born 1953) American physician, wife of Howard Dean, First Lady of Vermont (1991-2003). * Jon Stewart (born 1962) American comedian, writer, satirist and actor, host of The Daily Show from 1999 to 2015. * Ben Stiller (born 1955) American comedian, actor, writer, film producer and director. * Sir Tom Stoppard (born 1937) British playwright. Born in Zlin, Czechoslovakia. * Leo Strauss (1899-1973) German-born political philosopher. * Dominique Strauss-Kahn (born 1949) French politician, lawyer and economist, former head of the International Monetary Fund. * Barbra Streisand (born 1942) American singer, songwriter, actress and film maker. * Tara Strong (born 1973) Canadian-American voice actress. * Lord Alan Sugar (born 1947) British businessman, founder of Amstrad Computers, host the British version of the reality TV series The Apprentice. T * Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) British-American actress. Converted to Judaism in 1959. * Ashley Tisdale (born 1985) American actress, best known for appearing in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. * Alvin Toffler (1928-2016) American writer and futurist. * Chaim Topol (born 1935) Israeli stage and film performer, well known for playing Tevye, the milkman, in the film version of Fiddler on the Roof. * Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) Ukrainian-born Bolshevik revolutionary. * Ivanka Trump (born 1981) American businesswoman and former fashion model. Converted to Judaism in 2009. * Barbara Tuchman (1912-1989) American journalist, author and historian. * Sophie Tucker (1884-1966) Russian-born American actress and singer, popularized the song My Yiddishe Momme. * Tristan Tzara (1896-1963) Romanian-born French poet, essayist, playwright and performance artist. One of the founders of the Dada movement. V * Boris Volynov (born 1934) First Jewish astronaut, born in Irkutsk, Siberia. W * Eli Wallach (1915-2014) American actor, appeared in several spaghetti-westerns, played Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. * Sam Wanamaker (1919-1993) American-born actor and film director, founded the Shakespeare Globe Trust, to rebuild a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London. *Albert Warner (1884-1967) Polish-American film executive. One of the founders of Warner Bros. *Harry Warner (1881-1951) Polish-American film executive. One of the founders of Warner Bros. *Jack L. Warner 91892-1978) Canadian-American film executive. One of the founders of Warner Bros. *Sam Warner (1887-1927) Polish-American film producer. One of the founders of Warner Bros. * Steven Weinberg (born 1933) Nobel Prize winning American physicist. *Ruth Westheimer (born 1928) German-born American sex therapist, author and media personality, better known as "Dr. Tuth". * Joseph Weizenbaum (1923- 2008) German-American artificial intelligence critic, ELIZA programmer. * Sir Arnold Wesker (1932-2016) British playwright, poet, essayist, journalist, novelist, short story writer and children's book writer. * Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) Romanian-born Holocaust survivor, Boston University professor, writer, political activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner. * Simon Wiesenthal (1908-2005) Austrian Holocaust survivor who became famous for his pursuit of Nazi war criminals. * Gene Wilder (1933-2016) American film and theater actor, director and writer. * Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) British singer-songwriter. * Claudia Winkleman (born 1972) British TV and radio presenter, model, film critic and journalist. * Henry Winkler (born 1945) American actor and producer, best known for playing The Fonz in Happy Days. * Bernie Winters (1932-1991) British comedian. * Shelley Winters (1920-2006) American actress. * Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) Austrian-born British philosopher. * Heinz Wolff (1928-2017) German-born British scientist, inventor and radio and TV presenter. Z * L.L. Zamenhof (1859-1917) Polish creator of the constructed language Esperanto. * Sam Zemurray (1871-1961) American businessman who made a fortune from bananas and took over the United Fruit Company. Born in what is now Moldova. * Mark Zuckerberg (born 1984) American technology entrepreneur, co-founder of Facebook. See also * Jewish Nobel Prize winners External links *List of Jewish Nobel laureates Category:Biographies Category:Culture